A Nice Bloke
by hey there bret
Summary: We all know how their story ends, but how does it start? Lily/James, Seventh Year.
1. Chapter 1

Hey-o. Disclaimer; Harry Potter ain't mine.

* * *

A Nice Bloke

"Lily!"

Upon hearing her name, Lily Evans, a pretty red-head, turned and scanned the crowd. Her eyes came to rest on a shorter brown-haired girl, pushing her way through all of the Hogwarts students on the platform.

"Dorcas!" Lily cried in return, hugging her friend as she finally reached the redhead.

"I've missed you loads! How was the last bit of your summer?"

Dorcas and Lily were entering their Seventh Year at Hogwarts, just about to board the Hogwarts Express after the conclusion of the summer holidays. While the two girls had met regularly during the first few weeks of summer, Lily had then been busy with her sister's wedding and Dorcas had gone off to France for two weeks on a family vacation.

Lily grinned at her best friend. "Really brill, actually! I got Head Girl!"

Dorcas grinned in response, grabbing her friend for another hug. "I knew you would! Ahh, I'm so happy for you, Lils! Do you know who the Head Boy is yet? Probably that Remus chap, eh? He was a Prefect, wasn't he?"

Directing her trunk into the train and through the narrow corridors, Lily glanced back at Dorcas.

"Nah, not yet. I wouldn't be surprised if it were Remus, though, he's mature and level-headed. Did a great job as a Prefect."

"Oh well. As long as you, my lovely Lily, are Head Girl."

Lily wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Don't call me that. It's Slughorn's favourite nickname."

Dorcas only laughed, causing Lily to roll her eyes at let out an over-dramatic and exasperated sigh as she guided her trunk into an empty compartment and on the shelving above the seats. The two girls settled into their seats next to the window with looks of contentment on their faces.

"I'm so glad to be going back. It's a little scary, though, to think that we're graduating this year," Lily mused as she looked out the window as the train started to chug and pull away from the platform. She watched the nervous parents of the First Years waving good-bye and couldn't help but smile as she fondly remembered how confused but excited her own parents had been.

"I, for one, am glad to be graduating. I can finally join the Order of the Phoenix and actually _do _something. I can actually make a difference, y'know."

Lily looked at her friend with serious eyes. "I know, Dorcas, I know. I've decided that I'm going to join, too."

Looking away from the window and at her friend, Dorcas nodded solemnly. "You're one of the best witches I've seen, Lily. You'll be a real asset."

Smiling slightly, Lily shook her head. "Don't discount yourself, Dor. You're pretty talented yourself. Now, what does a witch have to do to get some chocolate frogs around here?"

"You and your chocolate frogs."

"It's a weakness, I know, but they're just so delicious!" Lily looked back guiltily as she stood up and poked her head of the compartment, looking for the trolley. Sure enough, it rolled by shortly, and Lily spend a good amount of Galleons on chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's and packets of Droobles.

After devouring about half of Lily's candy supply, the girls looked up as the compartment door slid open to reveal one James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Hullo, ladies. Mind if we join you?" Sirius flashed a smile at them and, not waiting for an answer, plopped himself down next to Dorcas. James smiled apologetically at them and took the seat next to Lily.

Although Lily and James had certainly not gotten off to good terms when they first met in Second Year, he had really grown over the last year. Over the course of Sixth Year, James had become less full of himself and Lily had stopped looking down on him for pulling (mostly) harmless pranks and goofing off. The two had eventually become friends, and Lily and Sirius had even grown on each other. It hadn't been a sudden process, of course, and had taken the better part of a year. Although she wouldn't readily admit it, Lily was quite glad that they had all matured. She had come to enjoy James', and even Sirius' and Peter's and Remus', company and some of their pranks.

Looking over at Sirius, who was lounging on the seats as he gobbled down more of her Bertie Bott's, she rolled her eyes. "I suppose not, Sirius. But where, may I ask, are Peter and Remus?"

Sirius started laughing and James, smirking, responded in turn. "Peter's taken to fancying this fifth year in Hufflepuff. Merlin knows why, she's got half a brain and can barely spell her own name. Anyway, Remus, being the upstanding lad he is, is already tutoring her in Potions. And Peter, of course, will use any excuse to drool over her. Sirius and I, however, have more dignity than to stand around whilst that happens, so we came in search of sanctuary."

Rolling her eyes, Dorcas couldn't help but snicker a bit. "How were your summers, boys?" She asked congenially.

"Oh, nothing too drastic. Played some Quidditch, pulled some pranks, the usual," Sirius answered lazily, tearing open a chocolate frog.

"Speaking of Remus – did he get Head Boy?" Lily asked innocently. She was dying to know who her Head counterpart would be.

Shooting Sirius a look, James scratched the back of his neck. "Er, no, he didn't actually. Why? Got Head Girl, did you?"

Lily nodded, hardly able to contain her happiness. "Yeah, I did! Just got the badge last week. I was hoping Remus would make Head Boy since I know him already. He was a good Prefect; I wonder why Dumbledore didn't give it to him?"

James coughed. "No idea, actually…" He trailed off, looking past Lily and out the window at the moving countryside.

Nodding, she stood up. "Well, I suppose I'll go change into my robes then. I actually find my uniform more comfortable than my jeans, how warped is that?"

Dorcas looked up from her magazine and snorted. "Quite warped, actually. I think I'll put off changing into my uniform until the very last minute, thanks."

As Lily exited the compartment, James stood up. "I reckon I'll go change as well."

Sirius gave him a look as he left, and Dorcas couldn't help but notice the silent exchange between the two boys.

"What's that all about?" She shot Sirius an accusing look but he only shrugged innocently and popped another handful of jelly beans into his mouth.

In the hallway, Lily was making her way back to her compartment when she saw James standing there, in his robes, with his back to her.

"James?" She asked as she neared. Why would he be standing out here? Unless Dorcas and Sirius were having a serious rift or, worse, snogging? She hoped nothing too serious was happening. Term hadn't even officially started yet, for Merlin's sake!

He turned as he heard her voice, and that's when she saw it.

The Head Boy badge.

It was pinned to his robes, just like her own badge was fastened to hers. She stood there, dumbstruck, as she took in the sight.

"You – _you're _Head Boy?" She finally sputtered.

He nodded, smiling ruefully. "Afraid so."

"But you weren't even a Prefect?" What should have been a statement came out as a confused question. She didn't know how Dumbledore could've made him Head Boy. It wasn't that she doubted his abilities – he had matured quite nicely over the past year – but she certainly did not condone breaking the rules.

"I know. I don't know what Dumbledore's drinking, and I definitely didn't ask for this. But I got the badge in the mail last week, just like you. So I guess we'll just have to get to used to working together. Sorry, Lily, I know it's not ideal."

"No, no!" She was quick to correct him. "I think you'll make an excellent Head Boy, actually. I'm just… it breaks the rules, doesn't it? And you know how I feel about rules." She smiled shyly up at him and he laughed, grinning.

"Yeah, trust me, I know how you feel about rules. I guess you'll just have to let this one slide."

"Yeah, guess so."

She followed him back into the compartment, where Sirius had all but depleted her stash of candy.

"Thanks, Sirius, you owe me either four Galleons or ten chocolate frogs and two packs of Droobles." She feigned a glare at him but couldn't keep a straight face for long as he whimpered at her.

After a few minutes of banter and giggling, the foursome grew silent and Lily soon yawned.

"Tired?" James looked down at Lily with his warm hazel eyes.

She nodded. "Couldn't sleep last night, I was too excited for school."

Sirius snorted. "Excited for school? You're weirder than I thought, Lily."

"Dorcas, smack him for me? I'd do it myself, but I'm too lazy."

"Oh, my pleasure," Dorcas smiled maliciously and playfully punched Sirius, who proceeded to mockingly fall over, on the arm.

The group soon grew silent again as Dorcas cracked open a copy of a Muggle novel which Lily had given her last year for Christmas and Sirius flipped through a Quidditch magazine. Lily felt her eyelids droop as she stared out the window, watching the countryside rush by. Her head grew heavier and soon enough, she felt herself resting it upon James' shoulder.

"D'you mind?" She yawned as she closed her eyes completely.

"No, not one bit." He answered softly, shifting so that his arm was around her shoulders and she was more comfortable.

"Thanks, then." She snuggled closer, reveling in his warmth.

As she felt herself drifting off to sleep, she could've sworn she felt him press his lips very lightly to the back of her head, and the last thing she remembered thinking was: _James Potter is a nice bloke_.

* * *

So yah. I think I'm going to try to continue this and make it a multichapter fic? Which I've never actually written before, so it's a bit taunting and, ahh, where will I go with it! But I will try it! If you, general public, think it's worth it? So lemme know what you think, please.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Dorcas is not an OC; she's mentioned briefly in the 5th book as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I try not to use too many OCs :)

* * *

Chapter 2

"Bugger, bugger, bugger!"

It was about five weeks into the school year and James was already behind in his homework, his Head Boy duties, his pranks, and, at the this current moment, he was late to breakfast. If he didn't get his arse out the door _now_, he wouldn't even have time to inhale some pumpkin juice before he'd have to all but sprint to Advanced Charms. And he would never miss Advanced Charms for the life of him. It was the one class he shared with Lily and, although part of him had already given up on her, he still couldn't help himself from wanting to be near her.

So here he was, on a Wednesday morning, trying futilely to both pull his trousers up and shove his books into his bag. Finally managing to get dressed, he finished shoving a quill into the mix and slung his bag over his shoulder, rushing down the steps and through the Gryffindor common room towards the Great Hall.

Bursting through the doors, he squinted around for his mates. Spotting Remus, he rushed over, plopped himself on the bench, and began shoveling food onto his plate.

"Hey, mate, mind pouring me some pumpkin juice?" He asked Remus through a mouthful of eggs.

Remus obliged, pouring his friend a drink, and cleared his throat. Before he could begin, James interjected with what Remus supposed was meant to be a "Where are Peter and Sirius?" although it came out "Whurrarrpeeurnsurrus?"

Standing up and gathering his things together, Remus said, "They've already gone off to Divination. And now that I've made sure you're actually alive, _I've_ got to be off to Potions. I hope you know that you only have about two minutes before Flitwick starts class."

James' eyes widened a bit, but he nodded, and took a big gulp of pumpkin juice and stood up next to Remus. "Thanks so much, mate. Don't know how I've let myself get so behind on everything… And I missed the Prefect's meeting last night. Lily's going to kill me." He groaned just thinking about it, and Remus clapped him on the back as they hurried out of the Great Hall.

"Don't worry too much about it. Right now, just concentrate on getting to Charms on time."

With those final words, the two boys parted ways and James hurried into the Charms classroom, taking his seat behind Lily. As he rummaged through his bag, he realized with a sinking feeling that he had forgotten parchment for the one class that he really needed to take notes in. He wasn't complete rubbish at Charms, mind you, but it certainly wasn't his strong subject.

Groaning inwardly, he tapped the redhead in front of him on the shoulder. She turned, her green eyes narrowing as she saw him.

"James," She hissed, "I am _trying_ to pay attention, here, and you've already disrupted the class by coming in late. And I am not very happy with you for missing the meeting last night! What could you _possibly_ want at this moment?"

His cheeks turned a bit pink; he knew she was in the right this time and had every right to be annoyed with him. "I'm really sorry about missing the meeting, Lily. And I woke up late cause I was up all night catching up with Potions homework so … err, anyway, I forgot parchment. Can I borrow some?"

Still glaring, she thrust a sheet of parchment at him and huffily turned around and began to take copious notes.

He still felt bad, though, and ripped off a bit of the parchment, writing _Really am sorry, Lily, Heads Meeting tonight at 7? Library?_ on it before sending it to land right in front of her. He knew it was a long shot. He really didn't have a legitimate excuse to have missed the meeting last night. He, as Head Boy, should be responsible enough to get his own work done in a timely enough manner so that he had enough time for weekly meetings with the Prefects as well as biweekly meetings with Lily and patrols with various Prefects. He was asking a lot of her to go out of her way to meet with him tonight for an unscheduled meeting just so she could go over what he had missed last night.

After a few excruciatingly long moments during which he simply could not comprehend anything that Flitwick was saying, she sent the paper back with one grudging word on it. _Fine_.

He let out a sigh of relief and focused on Flitwick for the rest of the lesson.

Forty minutes later, the Charms professor finally finished. "So I guess that's it for today. Keep practicing and remember that your essay is due next week!"

As the students gathered up their things and lazily exited the room, James caught up with Lily.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Looking up at him with an annoyed look on her face, she sighed wearily. "Hullo, James."

"Thanks, really, for putting up with me. I know I'm a pain in the arse and I've missed too many meetings lately, but I'll try to clean up my act, yeah?"

"I understand, James, that you have a lot of work. I do, too. Hell, we all do this year. And I'll cut you some slack for being late to classes. I just can't have you late to meetings or, Merlin forbid, missing them like you did last night! It's really unacceptable."

Lily looked tired, he noted, and suddenly felt even more terrible than before. Of course he knew that all the other Seventh years were getting loaded down with as much work as he was, but it hadn't really clicked in his mind that Lily was in the exact same boat as him: relentless essays, frequent exams, weekly meeting, patrols, dealing with the pesky – and, in his humble opinion, not even funny – pranks and hexes of First Years.

He grew serious as he responded. "Listen, I truly am sorry and I will fix it. I won't miss another meeting, I know I have responsibilities as Head Boy and I know I haven't been doing a great job so far. I'll fix it, though, Lily, I really will. I'm not just saying this, I mean it."

Lily watched him as he spoke and really hoped he meant it – he looked like he did – and she just wanted nothing more at that moment than for him to really and truly mean it. She was tired and worn out from juggling all of the duties of Head Boy _and _Girl by herself and it was only a little over a month into the term. She simply couldn't let herself burn out already but she knew she would if he didn't step up.

Nodding at him, she said quietly, "I'll see you at 7, then, in the library," and turned to go to her next class.

The day passed as a blur for Lily, who could barely concentrate in any of her classes. She'd slept barely a wink in the past week and a half and forgone breakfast that morning in order to finish up her Transfiguration essay which she was sure she'd get a bad mark on anyway. Even though she was a dedicated student, Transfiguration was her weakest subject and no matter how much effort she put into it she never quite accomplished as much as she would like.

Hours later, it was finally dinner time and she sluggishly moved from the dorm she shared with Dorcas, Marlene McKinnon, and Alice Sullivan and down the staircase to the common room, where she spotted Dorcas and Alice engaged in a game of chess.

"Hey, girls, dinner time?" She asked slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, 'course, just a minute. Blimely, Lily, you really ought to get a good night's sleep, you look absolutely wretched." Dorcas looked up at her friend as she moved one of her pieces. Looking back to the board, she grinned in triumph. "Checkmate!" She declared.

Alice groaned in defeat and stood up. "Alright, dinner time. But, yeah, Lily, have you been sleeping at all lately? I heard you finally come up to bed at 4 am this morning."

Lily shot her friend a look. "What were you doing up at 4 am?"

Alice giggled as they left through the portrait hole. "I'd just gotten Frank's letter. His owl is a terrible navigator and managed to get lost. On the way to _Hogwarts_, where he only lived for the past seven years! What a daft animal." Alice's boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, had just graduated from Hogwarts the year before, but he and Alice were still going strong. Lily was willing to bet money that they'd be married shortly after Alice graduated in just a few long months.

"Back to the matter at hand, my darling Lily. When's the last time you slept for longer than three hours?"

"Just the other night!" Lily declared defensively. Upon receiving an accusing look for Dorcas, she relented. "Okay. I got _four_ hours of sleep the other night, but still! That's more than three!"

"You're impossible, you know that?" Dorcas rolled her eyes but finally let the subject drop.

Alice, however, did not, and all through dinner relentlessly reminded Lily to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.

"Yes, _Mum_, I've got it, thanks." Lily glanced down at her watch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go meet with James Potter in the library."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "What for? Didn't you just have a Prefect's meeting last night?"

Sighing, Lily nodded. "Yes. _We_ did. And by we, I mean me and the Prefects. There was a distinct lack of Head Boy and now I have to go catch him up on the new patrols schedules and such."

"Hmm. I thought he'd gotten _less_ pricky," Dorcas mused.

"He says he's gonna fix his act."

"Do you believe him?"

"I'd really like to." And with that, Lily stood up, waved goodbye to her friends, and tiredly made her way to the library.

As it was just 7 o'clock and many students were still at dinner, the library was practically empty and even though he sat at a table in the very back, it wasn't that difficult to locate James. He smiled up at her as she sat down next to him.

"Again, before we start, I'd just like to apologize for being a prick. Although, I must say, this time it was unintentional."

Lily smiled slightly at this but was much too tired to give an adequate response. She pulled out the new schedules from her bag and began explaining what they'd gone over at the meeting. About thirty minutes later, she started winding down her recap.

"…so yeah, that's pretty much it. Oh, and we had to switch up the patrolling partners, Moore and Breslow are both interested in the same bloke and can't be put in the same room together for five minutes before they completely explode. But we couldn't put Moore with Baker, they had a rather nasty break-up at the end of last year. So now Baker and Breslow, Moore and Phillips, and you and I are paired up. That alright with you?"

He snorted. "More than alright. I was getting quite sick of patrolling with Phillips, she won't stop trying to get me to snog her."

Lily grinned. "I know what you mean. Baker's skeevy, even for a fifth year, and keeps grabbing my arse when I'm not paying attention."

Laughing and sitting back, James slung an arm over the back of Lily's chair. "So who's the bloke that Moore and Breslow are both fawning over, eh? Anyone I know?"

Lily couldn't help but snort at the question. "Yeah, I'd say you were pretty familiar with him."

"Oh? Sirus, is it? These Sixth Years… obsessed with him."

"Actually," Lily said slyly, "It's Remus."

"Remus? Really? It's a shame they're both such slags, then."

"James!" Lily slapped his chest playfully but she was grinning. "You oughtn't say things like that! It's rude."

James just scoffed. "You know it's true, love. I think there's less fabric in their skirts than in a pair of drawers. I don't see how girls like _them_ even get around to associating with a bloke like Remus."

"I think he's tutored them in Potions a few times." Lily wrinkled her nose. "Anyway, Remus is a nice bloke. I can see why a girl would like him."

James coughed awkwardly. He really hoped Lily wasn't trying to tell him something, wasn't implying that she had feelings for Remus. He was certainly a nice bloke and James thought quite highly of him. But, somehow, Lily falling in love with another would be even worse if that other man was one of James' best mates.

Shrugging off pessimistic thoughts, he looked over at Lily, who was leaning forward on the table, her hand propping up her head, as she scanned over the patrols schedule once more. He was struck by how worn-out she appeared and how dark the circles under her eyes were. He wanted desperately to reach forward and stroke her head, run his fingers through her hair and down her back in a soothing manner, but he knew how taboo that was. He was finally – finally! – Lily Evans' friend and he would never do anything intentional to screw that up.

So he withdrew his arm from the back of her chair and stood up. "You look really tired. Let's get you back to you dorm, yeah?"

Looking up at him through heavy lashes, she nodded slowly and yawned. "I guess that's a good idea. Alice keeps nagging at me to get a good rest, anyway."

James grabbed her bag before she could even stand up and she only protested slightly. "You sure… you don't mind?"

He just gave her a look. "Of course not, Lil, don't be silly. Now c'mon, off to bed for you."

She shook her head, laughing wearily. "I'm pathetic. It's not even 8 o'clock and I'm going to bed."

Leading her out of the library, James chuckled. "No, love, you're not pathetic. You're just overworking yourself and your friends care too much about you to let you keep doing it, so we're practically forcing you into bed."

They walked in amiable silence to the Gryffindor common room, where James finally handed Lily her bag. "Off to bed for you, now. Don't trip or anything up the stairs, I can't come help you, y'know."

He cracked a smile at her and she feebly attempted one in return. "Thanks, Ja-aaa-ames," she yawned before reaching out awkwardly to give him a hug. A little taken aback, it took him a moment to surprise and wrap his arms around her in turn. She, sleepy, sunk into him, inhaling his scent, a mix of soap and cologne. He, alert, rested his head on top of her hair, smelling her flowery shampoo.

Releasing him, she backed up, smiling, and mumbled an almost incoherent "Night, James," before turning around and heading up the stairs.

He watched her disappear, calling out a quiet, "Night, Lily."

* * *

I just realized that Lily being overly tired already seems to be a recurring theme. Perhaps it's my subconscious trying to tell ME to get a good night's sleep? Which actually sounds really nice right now...

anyway, review please? :) I'd like to have some idea of how this is being received. plus, if you review, you get my eternal love.


	3. Chapter 3

Hullo internet! First off, thanks to everyone who's reviewed; I really appreciate the comments and feedback. It also incents me to write more and write faster! Which is why I am currently sitting here, eating toast and writing instead of doing linear algebra!

* * *

Chapter 3

Lily sat happily at the breakfast table, munching on some toast as she started off into space. She was quite content; it had been a little more than three weeks since her meeting with James in the library and he had certainly stepped up since. It was also the end of October and just two days away from Halloween, one of her absolutely favourite holidays.

She looked up as Marlene plopped down across from her with a heavy sigh.

"What's up with you? Haven't seen you too much recently, are you feeling alright?" Lily worriedly questioned her friend, much like a fawning mother.

Marlene responded as she spooned porridge into a bowl. "Just really stressed. I'm not doing well in Potions, James is running us ragged at Quidditch practices, and, to top it all off, bloody Mary's being a little _slag_. Mum's gonna kill me if she finds out that Slughorn caught her and Parsons shagging in a broom cupboard. Thank Merlin it wasn't McGonagall or I would've gotten a howler in the mail by now…"

Marlene trailed off, shaking her head, as she took a big bite out of Lily's toast. Her younger sister Mary, now in fifth year, had become quite promiscuous, as Dorcas politely termed it. Marlene, as the eldest sister, was expected to take care of Mary and not let her become too ill-behaved.

As Dorcas and Alice entered the Great Hall, Lily pondered Marlene's predicament. "Well, I can't make your sister any less of a tart and I know James is really itching to win the Quidditch Cup since it's last year, so I doubt he'll go lighter, but maybe you could get Remus to tutor you in Potions? He's pretty decent at it and I know he'd help."

Marlene nodded thoughtfully, watching Alice as she scanned the Great Hall, waiting for the owls. Sure enough, they began swooping in, carrying packages and letters and one small brown one dropped a thick envelope in front of Alice.

Through a mouthful of sausage, Dorcas asked Marlene, "Hey, isn't there a Quidditch game today? Who're you guys playing, Hufflepuff?"

Turning her attention away from Alice, who was enraptured by whatever Frank had said now, Marlene shook her head. "Ravenclaw. And it ought to be a close game so you all should come and support us."

Lily nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."

Alice slyly looked up from her letter. "And that wouldn't have anything to do with one James Potter, now, would it?"

Lily felt herself blushing, although she didn't really know why. It was just James. "No, of course not," she muttered.

Alice just looked at her knowingly, but Dorcas and Marlene looked confused.

"Wait," said Marlene, "is there something you need to tell us, Lily? Do you fancy-" She cut herself off abruptly as James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus entered the Great Hall.

"Oooh, Lily, fancying someone? Tell us who." Sirius winked at Lily as he and his friends joined the four girls.

Lily blushed even more and vehemently shook her head. "No, of course I don't." She didn't sound convincing at all, even though she truly didn't fancy anyone. Why wouldn't her vocal chords work in accordance with her wishes?

Sirius smirked. "It's quite alright to fancy people, Lily dear, and more than alright to share that with friends. And what are we but friends?"

Lily glared. "Shut up, Black, I don't fancy anyone. And even if I did, I think you would be the last of people to know."

Feigning a look of hurt, Sirius clutched his heart. "You hurt me, love. I'm a nice bloke, why won't you share your deepest, innermost feelings with me?"

"Alright, alright, enough, children, let's not fight," Dorcas broke in, grinning. "Anyway," she continued, "it's time for class."

The group of eight stood up, gathering up their things and heading their separate ways. James and Lily fell into step beside each other on their way to Charms.

"Sorry about Sirius, you know how he can be," James apologized for his friend.

"It's fine. I definitely know how he is," Lily laughed lightly.

After walking in silence for a few beats, James cast her a sidelong look. "You, err, don't actually fancy anyone, do you? Not that it's, uh, any of my… business…"

Blushing yet again, Lily shook her head firmly. "Not that it _is_ any of your business, but, no, I don't fancy anyone. I'm not looking to date this year, I'm just trying to pass all of my classes and be a good example for the Prefects. Surely you of all people understand how much pressure is on me right now."

James nodded as they reached the Charms classroom.

"Of course I do," he said quietly.

With a small smile, Lily said, "Thanks." James didn't know what she was thanking him for. Honestly, she didn't either. She just didn't know what else to say and it seemed right.

"Are you going to the Quidditch game later?" He asked her as they took their seats.

Setting her bag down, she turned to look at him. "Yeah, I am."

Smiling at her, he asked, "You're not too busy? I know you have a lot of work, I'd understand if you didn't go."

Grinning back at him, Lily shook her head. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

As Flitwick began class, James couldn't help but read into that short conversation. She claimed she didn't fancy anyone and yet she kept blushing. And she had smiled back at him. And what did she mean, she wouldn't miss it for the world? What the bloody hell was she trying to tell him? Agh! He didn't understand women at all.

Later, at dinner, he was still thinking about it. He couldn't help it. He had really, truly tried to get over Lily Evans but, for reasons unbeknownst to him, he simply couldn't. Hell, if he had the choice, he would have stopped being interested in her after the first rejection. But you can't help who you like and James was living proof of that.

"Oi, mate, why so sullen? You've got a game later, perk up!" Sirius prodded James with his fork.

Looking up from his soup, Remus nodded but before he could say something, Peter chimed in. "You'll be great anyway, James, you're brilliant at Quidditch."

James offered his friends a small smile. "Thanks, mate, but I won't help out the team unless I snap out of this. I just… what if Lily _does _fancy someone?"

Remus sighed. "I don't know, Prongs. I don't know if she does and I don't know what you should do if she does. But I do know that you should stop thinking about it or else it's going to eat you up and you'll be terrible at the game today. And I, for one, want to win the House Cup."

Sirius snorted at Remus' candidness. "I second that!" He declared, raising his goblet of pumpkin juice.

James couldn't help but grin at his friends and raised his goblet to toast with Sirius.

Across the Great Hall, Lily was watching them, wondering what they were doing. The foursome always seemed to be having a good time. Even when one of them was in a bad mood, the others made sure that it didn't last long.

"Lily?"

Jumping a bit, Lily turned back to Marlene, who was giving her an odd look.

"Yeah?" She asked, clearing her throat.

"Do you have the time…?" Marlene was still giving her that look but Lily tried to shake it off.

Glancing at her watch, she reported, "You should probably leave soon, the game starts in 30 minutes and you've got to get all geared up and do some drills."

Nodding, Marlene stood. "OI, POTTER!" She bellowed. James, startled, looked up and, realizing who was calling for him, jumped up. Lily could read the words 'Oh bollocks' on his lips as he started rushing out the door, grabbing various Quidditch players along the way.

Smiling to herself, Lily took a bite of peas, only to look up to see Dorcas giving her an odd look.

_What is it with all these looks?_ she mused to herself.

"Lily…" Dorcas began, but seemed to think better of her words as she shook her head and took a bite of soup.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's not important."

"You were giving me a look," Lily accused, pointing her fork at Dorcas.

Dorcas, however, was saved from further interrogation as Sirius, Remus and Peter showed up behind her.

"Hello, ladies," Sirius drawled.

"Care to join us for the game?" Remus asked politely.

Nodding, the girls got up and the six of them shuffled out to the Quidditch pitch together, making their way through the already-filling stands to find good seats.

"So," Remus said, rubbing his hands together, "ought to be a good match."

Nodding enthusiastically, Dorcas started spouting off the stats off the two teams and how they were so evenly matched. Tuning out her friend, Lily cast her gaze elsewhere and caught sight of James, giving a pep talk to his team.

Feeling someone's gaze on her, she turned and saw Sirius staring at her.

Taken aback, she blinked in surprise. "Uhh, hullo, Sirius?"

"Lily," he acknowledged before turning away from her and directing his gaze at the Gryffindor Quidditch team, where hers had been only seconds prior. Not quite sure why, she began to blush again.

Luckily enough, the match shortly started and she found herself cheering along with all of the other Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs for the scarlet and gold clad team. Ravenclaw, of course, cheered for their own team and Slytherin would never be catch cheering for their rivals.

It was a very close and low-scoring game, of just 50 to 40, with Gryffindor in the lead. The two teams, however, were quite evenly matched as Dorcas had said and possession of the Quaffle bounced back and forth between them. One moment, James would be tossing the Quaffle to Jack Prewitt and then, suddenly, the Ravenclaw Chaser Patty Snow would be attempting to score on Marlene the Keeper.

It was exhilarating to watch. Lily wasn't the biggest fan of the sport, but when games were so close like this, when excitement was in the air and the vast majority of students were screaming and cheering, she couldn't help but get involved and scream herself.

"C'mon, Sue!" She shouted as one of the Gryffindor Beaters smacked a Bludger in the direction of a Ravenclaw Chaser as he threw the Quaffle towards one of the goal hoops. Marlene swooped to try to catch it but missed it and the game was now tied at 60 to 60.

Groaning, Lily turned to Alice. "This is crazy!" She exclaimed and Alice agreed wholeheartedly.

"I hate Quidditch!" Alice sighed.

"No, not that part!" Lily said.

Alice gave her a look. "I thought you hated Quidditch too? When did you suddenly start loving it?"

"I can't help it, Alice! It's just so… exciting!"

Rolling her eyes, Alice turned her attention to Peter and struck up a conversation. Lily wondered how far that would get her; Peter tended to be a quiet guy and, when he spoke, went on and on about either James or Sirius, both of whom he clearly revered.

The game continued at the fast, intense pace as the minutes ticked on.

Suddenly, Lily knew something terrible was about to happen. James held the Quaffle snugly in the crook of his arm, leaning forward on his broom as he sped towards the Ravenclaw goals. Patty Snow was closing in on him and, as she reached out to knock the Quaffle out of his hands, one of the Gryffindor Beaters slapped a Bludger towards her.

Patty, seeing the Bludger coming, ducked just in time, narrowly missing the speedy iron ball.

James, however, was not so lucky. Turning his head as he heard the ball swishing through the air, Lily could see his eyes widen in horror as he attempted in vain to dip and avoid being hit.

The Bludger hit him smack in the head and he promptly fell off his broom, the Quaffle dropping next to him, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

The entire stadium grew quiet as he lay motionless on the ground.

* * *

Just a random note: In case you haven't noticed yet, my goal is to have the words 'a nice bloke' in every chapter.

Anyway, lemme know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lily was outside of the hospital wing with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, pacing back and forth anxiously. They were all waiting for Madam Pomfrey to open the doors to the Hospital wing and allow them to visit James.

She stopped pacing to fret nervously, wringing her hands. Sirius was giving her an odd look again.

"What do you want, Black?" she barked tensely.

He raised his dark eyebrows at her harsh, worried tone. "Why are you here, exactly, Evans?"

The two tried to be friendly towards each other, especially in the presence of James, but occasionally, when tensions were high, they still reverted to calling each other by their surnames.

Lily, looking at him, stopped wringing her hands and shrugged.

"I'm just, y'know, worried about him," she muttered, looking down at her shoes.

"Right. Worried about _James_. You don't even like him!" Sirius accused her.

Remus looked up from the quiet conversation he was having with Peter in a corner about an article in the Daily Prophet. James was known for playing Quidditch aggressively and it certainly wasn't the first time that the trio of boys had found themselves waiting outside of the Hospital wing for him. They, unlike Lily, were quite calm about the whole situation.

"Oi, Padfoot," Remus said slowly, "you know Lily and James are getting on much better this year."

Sirius backed off a bit but still had suspicion in his eyes.

"Look, Sirius," Lily tried to placate him, "me and James are friends… I just want to make sure he's okay."

"Friends," Sirius scoffed, but turned away from Lily and towards Remus and Peter. Patting his mate on the shoulder, Remus made his way over to Lily, who was now standing by the window, staring out at dark sky.

"Look, Lily. James is his best mate and Sirius just doesn't want him… James is a very nice bloke… Sirius is just being protective of him. I mean, face it, you and Prongs don't exactly have the best track record."

Lily, her arms folded across her chest, looked up at the sandy haired boy and offered him a small smile.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Thanks, Rem-" She started to say but her words were cut off as Madam Pomfrey finally opened the doors with a bang.

"Come along, boys, but make it a quick visit," the stern nurse said as Remus, Sirius, and Peter all but ran into the wing. She gave Lily an odd look as she trailed behind the trio, but said nothing more.

James was lying in bed, his left arm in a cast, his head bandaged, and his right foot propped up. Aside from looking a little sore and tired, he didn't look nearly as bad as Lily would have thought. His hair was messier than ever and Lily just wanted to flatten it. One of the perks of flattening it, of course, would be that she got to run her fingers through his arm, but Lily didn't let herself think about things like that. Too often, anyway.

"Ello, boys," James grinned at his mates as Sirius plopped down on the only chair next to his bed. The other two boys milled around the end of his bed, Peter with his hands in his pockets and Remus folding the Daily Prophet under his arm.

Upon seeing Lily, James' smile only widened. "Lily," he greeted her.

She offered him a small, somewhat anxious smile as Sirius lounged on the chair.

"D'you have any Bertie Bott's, James?" Peter asked, searching the bedside table for any treats or candy.

"I've only been in here for an hour or so, Peter. When would someone have sent me candy?"

Peter shrugged. "Dunno, but it can't hurt to ask."

"Fair enough, Wormtail, fair enough," Sirius remarked, setting his feet up on the bed next to James' propped up leg.

"Hey, c'mon, Sirius! Get your dirty feet off my bed!" James wrinkled his nose in disgust and pushed his friend's feet away.

As this exchange was going on, Lily stood off a bit awkwardly. Madam Pomfrey walked by with some potions and gave the girl another look.

"Are you his girlfriend?" she asked her suspiciously.

Lily, having never really injured herself, had only met Madam Pomfrey once or twice and the nurse was unaware of the history between her and James. Lily shook her head, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, well," the woman sighed, "he's got a knack for hurting himself but he's a good boy. Better for me that you're not together, though. It gets difficult keeping clingy girlfriends away from their injured boys."

With that, Madam Pomfrey swept away, leaving the group of teenagers along for a few moments. Looking over at the boys, Lily saw that James was speaking intently to Remus. Glancing her way, James' face turned a bit pink, and he focuses his attention back to his friend.

Remus straightened up and nodded. "Right. Well, best be going, boys. See you tomorrow, Prongs."

Sirius glared suspiciously at Lily as he, Remus, and Peter walked past her and out the doors.

"Lily," James called warmly from his bed, gesturing for her to sit in the chair previously occupied by Sirius.

Taking the seat, she looked at him worriedly. "Are you okay? That was a nasty fall, and that Bludger must've been going so fast and-"

James laughed, cutting her off. "I'm fine, Lily, stop fretting. Madam Pomfrey knows how to fix me up, I'll be perfect by tomorrow afternoon."

Lily nodded and a silence fell between the two of them. Looking at her, James couldn't help but notice that she was very pretty. A lamp next to his bed was the only source of light for the room and the dim lighting illuminated shadows on her face. Her hair looked darker than usual, a deep auburn color, and the light sparkled in her eyes, danced across her cheekbones, and highlighted her lips.

Not really knowing what he was doing, James whispered, "You're really pretty."

Looking at him in surprise, Lily's eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open slightly before she pulled up one side of her mouth, curling it into a slightly crooked smile. On anyone else, James thought, that smile would look ridiculous, but it somehow fit Lily and her personality, that one-sided, lopsided smile.

"Thanks," she whispered back, and her fingertips danced across the thin sheets on his bed, near his hand.

James was sure that this would lead to something between him and Lily, something wonderful, something magical. He was about to stretch his own hand out a little further to capture hers, to intertwine his fingers with hers, when Madam Pomfrey abruptly threw open the door of her office and Lily jumped, pulling her hand back to her lap.

"Boys!" the nurse barked before realizing that they had already left. "Oh, well, then. You," she pointed to Lily, "visiting hours are over."

Nodding, Lily stood up and smoothed out her school skirt, before looking over to James and smiling. "Good night, Ja-" she began, but Madam Pomfrey interrupted again with a glare and a stern, "I said they were _over_."

Lily nodded again at the nurse and left the Hospital wing, glancing back at James one last time to give him a small smile. She didn't know why, she didn't know how she had allowed it to happen, but James Potter was growing on her.

* * *

Sorry this is so short... I don't have a lot of free time right now, but I just wanted to get something up. I have plans for this story, though, so hopefully I can find the time this week to get some more down and publish the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

I know, I know, I never posted anything last week. Even the best laid plans don't always work out. But I'm here now, and that's what really counts, right? ;)

* * *

Chapter 5

It had been a little over a week since James got pummeled by the Bludger. And what a nice week it had been. Lily had somehow changed that day. He would never say that she hadn't been nice to him before but since then… he couldn't really explain it, but she was more attentive to him, she would seek him out for conversations, sit down with him for almost every meal, and she had even hugged him once.

Although he didn't really fancy getting hit my Bludgers on a regular basis, if she would react like this every time, he might take it into consideration.

It was currently Sunday morning and, as it was a nice, crisp morning in autumn, James was out on a stroll by the lake with Remus. Sirius and Peter were, of course, still snoring away. Although James enjoyed his sleep just like any other teenage male, he would occasionally rise early enough on Sunday mornings to join Remus on his weekly walk.

"So," Remus was saying, "I couldn't help but notice that you and Lily have been getting pretty close as of late."

James shrugged noncommittally, but Remus shot him a look.

"Alright, yeah, I've noticed that too. Ever since I got hit in the game last week. I dunno why, but she's been really nice. Probably feels bad for me."

This time it was Remus who shrugged.

"Maybe she's finally coming around."

At this, James couldn't help but snort and looked up to the sky, a sarcastic grin on his face.

"You're absolutely loony, Moony."

Remus stopped walking, turning to the lake and sticking his hands in his pockets.

"It's not completely ridiculous," the sandy-haired boy argued.

Shaking his head and still smiling crookedly, James replied, "It _is_, actually. She's known that I've fancied her since Fifth Year – she probably even knew in Fourth Year, actually – and she's never responded to me. A bloke can only wait so long, y'know?"

"But you, Prongs, are not the average bloke. You're a nice bloke."

"Oh, yes, because all that Lily is looking for is someone _nice_. Not someone funny and smart and good-looking with good manners who can support her and will treat her well."

"Well, you're all of those things, too."

"Thanks, Remus, I just wish _she'd_ see that," James sighed again, ruffling his dark hair as he surveyed the lake.

It was only mid-morning and the sun was still low in the sky, casting a dewy glow about the grounds. There were just enough rays, though, to cast a sparkle across the lake and to catch on the drops of dew in the grass. The leaves were beginning to change color and James had to admit that Hogwarts was quite a pretty place.

As he was contemplating the grounds, the morning, and Lily, Remus let out a short bark of laughter.

James glanced at his friend quizzically and then followed Remus' gaze over his shoulder and to a small figure walking towards them.

A small figure with dark red hair and a pretty face.

"James! Remus!" Lily called out in greeting as she neared the boys.

"Lily?" James couldn't help the questioning tone in his voice.

"Since you've been busy with Quidditch practice for the past few weeks, Lily's occasionally joined me on my walks," Remus explained.

Lily nodded, smiling at the boys and joining them by the side of the lake.

"Hogwarts is just so lovely, don't you think? Especially in the autumn, when the leaves are turning. It's my favourite month. So, what are we talking about?"

"Err –," Remus began nervously, but James swiftly cut him off.

"Well, actually," he shot a sidelong glance towards Remus, "we were just talking about Hogsmeade last night. Sirius got completely pissed and is gonna have one nasty hangover when he wakes up."

"_If _he wakes up," Remus corrected with a small smile, "I've never seen anyone consume so much Firewhiskey in one sitting."

Lily raised her eyebrows.

"What was the occasion for all of the Firewhiskey, might I ask?"

James shrugged, "Oh, you know, Sirius just turned seventeen a few days ago and wanted to celebrate. Nothing too dramatic."

"Oh, that's right! I'd forgotten about his birthday," Lily fretted, biting her lip.

"You knew his birthday?" Remus questioned as the trio began walking again.

"Mhm," Lily nodded, "He told Marlene once and she told me. Although I'm not really sure why…"

Lily's eyebrows creased as Remus' mouth formed a slight O and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, bugger!" He exclaimed, abruptly stopping. "What time is it?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure…" Lily trailed off, glancing worriedly at James. "Are you alright, Remus?"

Shaking his head, he explained, "No, I promised Marlene I would help her with Potions this morning. We were to meet in the common room at ten thirty."

"Well, it was a little after ten o'clock when I left so if you leave right now, you shouldn't be too late," Lily offered helpfully.

Remus smiled gratefully as he mumbled his thanks and rushed over towards the castle.

"I'm surprised Sirius mentioned his birthday to anyone outside of me, Remus, and Peter," James remarked as he and Lily continued their stroll.

"He does seem to be rather personal," Lily commented.

"He is. I know he can come off as rude sometimes, but he's just… as you said, personal. He's guarded. And I know that he must've come off as rude to you more than once, but don't take it personally."

"I figured as much. I heard that he moved in with you this summer?"

James nodded, looking out over the lake and shuffling his feet along the ground.

"Yeah. He was having some, err, family problems. He didn't know where he was gonna go at first, but he's my brother, so of course my parents took him in."

"You don't have to explain that to me," Lily smiled at him, "I've never met two boys closer than you and Sirius."

James smiled back.

"I'd trust him with my life."

Lily nodded.

"I'd say that would be a good placement of trust. As would him trusting you with his life. There's a reason you're both in Gryffindor, y'know. You're both quite arrogant," here James winced, but Lily continued on, "but you have reason to be. You're both very intelligent and, although it's not always directed in the right places, you're clever and good with spells. And you're both astonishingly loyal to those you're close to."

James couldn't help but stopping right where he was and staring at her. Feeling self-conscious under his gaze, Lily began to blush, her face turning a deeper and deeper red with each passing moment.

Finally, she squeaked out, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You just described me quite well, Lily. I didn't think you paid attention to me that much."

Lily blushed even more and glanced down at her toes.

"Just because I thought you were an arrogant prick in Fifth Year doesn't mean I didn't pay attention to you. Y-you're interesting, to say the least."

James laughed, shaking his head.

"You're one to talk."

"Excuse me?"

Lily lifted her head and glared at him with a look of authority, but there was a smile playing on her lips.

"You, my dear Lily Evans, are one of the most interesting people I've met."

"Oh? How so?" she challenged him.

"You yourself are astonishingly loyal to those you're close with even when they don't really deserve your loyalties," Lily knew he was talking about Severus but did not comment, "you're Head Girl and you_ love_ rules but you still laugh at pranks and jokes. You actually enjoy writing essays. And you're incredibly smart and gifted and yet you are terrible at Transfiguration."

"Hey!" Lily cried, smacking him on the arm.

But she was grinning from ear to ear. James grinned back at her and Lily childishly stuck her tongue out at him. Her childish moments only made her that much more endearing to James, who wanted nothing more than to envelope her in a giant hug. He resisted and instead settled for sticking his tongue out at her in response.

"All kidding aside, that was an accurate description. I didn't think you paid me that much attention, James," Lily joked.

"Of course I do," James said quietly, his tone serious.

He looked Lily straight in the eye and she gazed back. His eyes started into her deep green ones, mesmerized by their round shape and the thick, dark eyelashes framing them. He took in the freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose, the mole above her left eyebrow, and the curve of her pink lips. Staring at the plump, bottom lip, he unconsciously licked his own and began leaning closer to her.

Breaking out of her own trance of tracing his face with her eyes, Lily stepped back shakily.

"Um, I, uhh-," she stuttered.

Realizing what he had been doing, James turned a bright pink and scratched the back of his neck before moving his hand upwards and nervously ruffling his hair.

"I'd better be going…" Lily trailed off.

James nodded, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, erm… yeah. Homework and stuff to do…" he agreed.

"Right…stuff…to do. Homework," Lily gulped before reaching out for an exceedingly awkward hug in which she patted his shoulder and, miscalculating his height, crushed her nose into his chest and he reached down too low and accidentally grabbed her arse.

Stepping back, Lily once again mumbled something about homework and rushed off towards the castle.

Reaching up to his hair, James sighed and turned towards the lake, still sparkling happily in the morning sun.

He couldn't help but wondering what it was about Lily Evans that had him so flustered, so confused, so helplessly entranced.

* * *

Uh. Not much to say about this. I've lost all my free time and I am really stressed right now but I have ideas and so I'm just kind of squeezing out chapters here and there whenever I can. So they're not that long and not that great, but I'd still appreciate if you lemme know what you think :)


	6. Chapter 6

Peace-Love-Read: Thanks for the concern about my well-being :) But I, unfortunately, am one of those people that's always stressed.

And sorry to everyone for the fairly long break since the last chapter. Like I said, I was super busy, and then I got the flu and was in bed for a few days hacking up my lungs. But I'm all better now! So I have no more excuses to not write.

* * *

Chapter 6

Lily inwardly groaned as she made her way to the Gryffindor common room .She had just left James at the lake after an exceedingly awkward hug. She thought she had even felt him groping her bum but she didn't want to give that too much thought.

Mumbling the password to the Fat Lady, she spotted Alice and Dorcas playing chess and flopped down on the couch next to them, her head hanging off the back of the couch and her arm thrown across her face.

"What's wrong?" Dorcas murmured as she stared intently at the chessboard, pondering her next move.

"Oh, hurry up, already! You've been staring at the same piece for ages!" Alice moaned impatiently before turning her attention to her redheaded friend, "Lily? You alright?"

"I think…" Lily began, her voice slightly muffled by her sleeve, "I think…"

"Spit it out!" Dorcas cried as she finally moved her rook and captured one of Alice's bishops.

"Dammit," Alice muttered darkly under her breath.

"I think James Potter just groped my arse."

At this, Alice took her hand off of her queen and the two girls swiveled their heads towards Lily, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open in shock.

"W-w-_what?_" Dorcas managed to screech.

"When – where – how?" Alice sputtered.

"By the lake…" Lily muttered, her arm still flung across her face.

Dorcas jumped up from her position in front of the fireplace and tackled Lily on the couch, ripping her arm away from her face.

"Explain. Now," she demanded.

Dorcas, being a relatively petite girl, did not look nearly as menacing as she wished and Lily couldn't help but snort a bit in laughter.

"You look – are you – you don't seem very upset by the ass-groping," Alice wondered, placing herself on the other side of Lily on the couch.

"I think it was probably an accident," Lily admitted.

"Well that's much less exciting," Alice sighed, blowing a piece of hair away from her face.

"But I also… he might've… we almost kissed," Lily whispered, almost too quietly for her friends to hear.

Dorcas' eyes grew as large as saucers as she stared at Lily. "You almost… YOU AND JAMES POTTER ALMOST KISSED?"

Glancing nervously around the common room which was thankfully empty except for a few Second Years in the corner, Lily hushed her friends.

"Yes, yes, shush! Keep your voice down! He… well, I went out to join Remus by the lake for his weekly stroll and James was there and then Remus had to leave to tutor Marlene and James and I… we were just talking and all of a sudden he stopped and stared at me and then he was getting closer. And I think he was going to kiss me, but then I said I had to leave to do homework and gave him an awkward hug and I smashed my nose and he accidentally touched my arse," Lily rushed through the last few words, her face turning a bright shade of red as she remembered how close they had been.

Alice's eyes grew wider and wider as Lily spoke until she pointed an accusing finger at the other girl, "You like him!" she exclaimed.

Lily only reddened more. "What! How could you say that! Of course I do not!"

"You totally do," Alice said slowly. Lily could practically see the cogs turning in her mind. "That's why you've been so … flustered around him."

"I do not…" Lily protested feebly.

Dorcas nodded thoughtfully, chewing on her bottom lip. "That would explain so much… There's no need to be ashamed of it, Lils, he's a nice bloke."

"More importantly, he's good-looking. Wouldn't mind shagging _that_ piece of man, it's a shame I'm committed to Frank," Alice waggled her eyebrows, grinning deviously at Lily, who blushed even further.

"Your face is about the colour of a tomato, Lily," Dorcas pointed out, "there's no use trying to deny it anymore."

Lily glanced around suspiciously. This would be the worst moment in the world for one of James' friends to show up and, seeing how Fate had been acting recently, Lily would not be surprised if Sirius or Peter burst through the portrait hole at any second.

"Okay, okay," she lowered her voice, glancing at her two friends, "I might… I might fancy him… but just a bit!"

Alice smirked, "I knew it. Marlene was so right."

Lily's eyes narrowed and her mouth pouted, "You guys have been talking about my love life behind my back?" she demanded.

"Well, duh," Dorcas shrugged, "you've been chummy with _James Potter_ of all people. Of course we've been discussing this!"

Lily groaned and stood up.

"I need to go think," she declared and Alice and Dorcas nodded in understanding. "And," she continued, "I know you're going to talk about this… so at least have the decency to do it in the privacy of our dormitory, yeah?"

Dorcas giggled as she and Alice nodded and scampered up the flight of stairs to their room.

Sighing, Lily exited the portrait hole and wandered towards the library. She made her way towards the back, to her favourite window which faced the lake. Craning her neck and realizing that he must have gone inside by now, she looked in vain for James.

After standing at the window for a few moments, she heard someone shuffle up behind her.

Turning, she saw Sirius looking at her with arms crossed.

"Evans," he nodded gruffly.

"Sirius," she greeted apprehensively. He did not look happy.

"We should have a chat," he informed her.

Nodding her head slowly, she sat down in front of the window and gestured for him to do the same.

Not taking the seat, he continued, "I understand that you and James and the Heads and, as such, have to spend some time together patrolling and running meetings, et cetera. But other than that, I want you to stop hanging around him."

Lily's eyebrows knitted together in confused. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Yes, I heard you. But I don't understand. Why would you want that?"

Sighing exasperatedly, he ran a hand over his face. "Evans, c'mon, who are you kidding? You and James have never gotten along, you've always hated him. So what are you doing this year, being nice to him? You're just playing with him."

Lily, offended, stood up angrily, her eyes glaring. "I'm not playing with him, Black! I never _hated_ him-,"

Sirius scoffed, interrupting her, "Somehow I don't believe you, Evans-,"

It was Lily's turn to interrupt, "Well you'd better start! I'm not going anywhere!"

Her voice was rising and Madam Pince abruptly appeared from behind a shelf, glaring at the two and shushing them angrily, "If you two do not settle down in the next ten seconds, I will throw you out of this library!" she whispered harshly.

Gritting her teeth, Lily nodded and turned her attention back to Sirius, whispering now, "I never hated James. I just didn't want to be around someone so arrogant and immature who relentlessly asked me out, even after I said no. It was an uncomfortable situation for me to be in. Surely you must understand that on some level. You're thick, Black, but you're not _that_ thick."

Sirius didn't say anything for a long time, instead staring out over Lily's shoulder through the window.

Finally, sighing, he turned back to her, his eyes softer.

"Fine," he relented, "_Lily_, I will accept that you had reason to not want to be around James in Fifth Year. Hell, he even annoyed the shit out of me sometimes," he smirked a bit, "but still. You don't know what you're doing to him. You're playing with him, even if you don't mean to. So I would appreciate it if you would please stop hanging around him."

Lily shook her hear slowly, "I can't do that, Sirius."

"Why not?"

"Because…" Lily whispered, looking at Sirius' tie, at her hands, at the floor, at anything but his face.

"Because why?" His voice was kind, softer than she'd ever heard. She knew Sirius wasn't a bad guy. He may be mischievous but he, like James, was loyal, dependable, and kind.

She looked back up at him and swallowed, "I fancy him," she whispered.

Sirius didn't look nearly as surprised as she would have imagined and she couldn't help but ask why.

He chuckled and said, "Well, Marlene had told me that she suspected as much… I really didn't believe her at first but then I watched you two a bit. I had to be sure, though. James can't handle any more heartbreak from you, Lily."

Lily laughed without humor, "I really don't think he's suffered actual heartbreak on behalf of _me_, Sirius."

Sighing and shaking his head, he took a seat in front of the window.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Lily. That's why you hurt him so much. He really cares for you. He always has. I'm not saying he was always in love with you, he didn't know you enough in the beginning to love you. But he's always cared. He was just a fifteen-year-old boy, and fifteen-year-old boys don't know how to tell a pretty girl that they like her."

Sitting down next to Sirius, Lily responded, "I thought I was just a game to him. I thought… I thought he just wanted to date me because I said no."

"No, not at all," he sighed, "and it surprises me that you can still think that, even after getting to know him better. He's a great bloke, the best mate I could ever ask for, and there's not an insincere bone in his body."

Lily nodded and leaned her head against the window pane, glancing out at the grounds.

"I know," she said quietly, "he really is wonderful."

"Don't hurt him," Sirius pleaded and Lily was struck by how genuine his words were.

Before she could respond, Marlene skipped up to the couple cheerily.

"Hey there," she chirped, not seeming to notice the serious atmosphere around the pair.

"Hey Marlene," Sirius coughed, scratching the back of his neck as she smiled brightly at him.

"Hi, Sirius," she smiled, "you wouldn't mind giving me and my best friend a few moments alone? Then we can go to lunch if you guys haven't eaten already. I'm completely starving!"

Nodding, Sirius stood up and ambled over to a nearby table, just out of earshot. Glancing at him to make sure he was far enough away, Marlene squealed and sat down next to Lily, grabbing her hands.

"Alice and Dorcas told me!" she whispered excitedly.

"About-about James?" Lily stuttered, not quite able to get out of the somber mood that her conversation with Sirius had put her in.

"Of course, silly, about James! What else would it be about?"

"I don't know," Lily said, "but what am I going to do about it?"

"Shag him senseless?" Marlene giggled, "But seriously, I think you should go out with him. Anyway, we can discuss this more later, I'm actually really, really hungry."

Marlene jumped up, dragging her friend with her and skipping over to Sirius.

Sirius gave Lily one last meaningful glance before smirking lightheartedly at Marlene and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He had obviously gotten over the surprise of being interrupted and was back to his charismatic self.

"Let's go eat, yeah?" He asked smoothly, leading the girls out of the library and towards the Great Hall.

* * *

Reviews please? (: I'll love you forever and send you virtual hugs.

Also, I'd like to just thank everyone who's reviewed so far! Virtual hugs for everybody!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It had been a few weeks since Sirius and Lily had had their serious conversation. Ever since, Sirius had been much more congenial and occasionally even openly nice to Lily – so much so that even James had noticed.

"Oi, Padfoot," James began one Saturday morning as he began preparing to go out to the Quidditch pitch for practice.

It was true that there was a Hogsmeade weekend today but there was only one game against Slytherin left and, although Gryffindor was currently ahead in points towards the Quidditch Cup, if they lost too terribly to their biggest rival in the upcoming game, they would surely lose both the Quidditch and the House Cup. As it was his Seventh Year and Ravenclaw had won the House Cup previous year and Slytherin the year before that, James could not stand losing both Cups.

At the current moment, Sirius was still lolling about in his bed, but with the curtains open. He was, as he liked to say, still convincing himself to get out of bed.

"What can I do you for?" the shaggy haired boy yawned lazily, rolling over and facing his friend so that his head was almost hanging off the bed.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice," James began tentatively, "that you've been much nicer to Lily lately."

If Sirius was surprised, he didn't show it. "What's your point, mate?"

"Just curious as to why, I s'pose," James shrugged.

It was Sirius' turn to shrug, although that proved somewhat difficult seeing as he was still lying in bed with one arm sprawled above his head, the other hanging over the edge of the bed, and his legs contorted and bent in such an odd way that James wondered if he was secretly double-jointed.

"Dunno, mate… guess she's just growing on me?" He offered weakly.

James didn't quite believe Sirius but thankfully left the topic alone. "So… what're you up to today while I'm slaving away on the Quidditch pitch? Going to Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah… I actually have a date."

James, who was lacing up his shinguards, looked up in surprise. "Really? Anyone I know?"

Sirius sat up in bed, scratching his arm as he looked at the floor.

"You okay?" James asked, straightening as he stood up and looked at his friend, who just nodded and looked up as, over in the far corner of the room, they heard Peter snort in his sleep and his sheets rustle as he turned over. Remus himself was also still sleeping, but he was a much quieter sleeper. When James had first befriended him, he had expected him to be the kind of person who got up at the crack of dawn, even on Saturdays, but he had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Remus allowed himself to sleep in on this one day of the week. In fact, Remus could sleep even longer than Peter and frequently didn't get up until close till two in the afternoon.

"It's Marlene," Sirius said simply.

"Well, that's good. Isn't it?"

Sirius shrugged, blushing slightly. "I really like her, mate. It's weird, never thought she'd agree to go out with me."

It was odd to see him like this, so quiet and serious. James, having been Sirius' best friend for almost seven years now, of course knew about his mate's serious side. Still, it didn't come out very often and never before because of a girl. James couldn't help but wonder if this is what he seemed like to his friends when he was obsessing over Lily.

"Well, she did, obviously. When'd you ask her?" he questioned, trying to lighten the mood.

At this, he got a bark of laugh and a bright smile out of Sirius, who finally looked him in the eye. "That's the great thing. _She_ asked _me_ out. Just a few days ago, right before Divination. Just came right up to me and said, 'Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?' I said sure and that was that. We agreed to meet at 11."

James grinned right back. "Nice. Gotta love a girl who takes initiative."

Sirius stood up and stretched. "I'm a bit nervous, though. What if things don't work out today?"

"Look, Padfoot, I'm sure it'll all work out. Don't sweat it. If you two are meant to be together, it'll happen. If not, don't dwell on it."

At these words, Sirius gave James a meaningful glance.

"I could say the same to you about Lily, y'know," he commented quietly.

As he grabbed his broom and headed for the door, James nodded slowly. "I know. And I've realized that. So… if that means just being friends with her, then that's what I'm going to do, even if it hurts."

With that, James headed out the door and to the Quidditch Pitch, where his team was already assembled and waiting for him.

Sirius sighed as he pulled off his pajamas and got dressed in what he hoped was acceptable attire for a first date. Heading to the Great Hall, he shoveled in breakfast before meeting Marlene and catching a carriage to Hogsmeade.

As the couple settled into their seats for the short journey, they turned to one another and just as Marlene began to ask "What should we do once we get there?" Sirius said, "So how've you been?"

Giggling, Marlene smiled and looked out the window before turning back to her date. "You first."

"Err," Sirius chuckled, feeling slightly nervous. He was never nervous but this girl… she unnerved him and he couldn't figure out why. Which only made him more unnerved. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she laughed, "and yourself?"

"Good, good," he mumbled. Where was his suaveness? Why couldn't he act cool? For the love of Merlin, why was this girl turning him into a pile of uncontrollable mush?

"That's good," Marlene said as she wrapped her arm around his.

The remaining few moments in the carriage were silent but it was amicable and comfortable. As Sirius relaxed, he became more confident and by the time they stepped out of the carriage and into the crunchy snow, he felt much better.

"Shall we get a butterbeer, madam?" He asked graciously, grinning and holding out his arm.

"That sounds delightful, sir," Marlene smiled back, playing along and threaded her arm through his.

"I love snow," she commented as they made their way towards The Three Broomsticks.

Sirius wrinkled his nose. "It's alright. Not my favourite weather."

"Oh?" Marlene's eyes twinkled as Sirius held the door to the tavern open for her. As they settled into a table, she asked, "What is then?"

"What is what?"

"Your favourite weather."

"Hmm. Nobody's ever asked me that before. I'd probably have to say sunny. But with a breeze. Not a big fan of walking through snow or rain and having my trousers soaked all day."

Marlene smiled and nodded. "As already mentioned, I like the snow. Now would you like to get the butterbeers or shall I?"

Standing up, Sirius grinned and walked over to the bar where he ordered two butterbeers from the busty Madam Rosmerta and promptly brought them back to the table.

"Thanks so much," Marlene said, taking a sip.

"Now," she began, "the reason why we're here…"

Sirius' stomach clenched and his heart seemed to stop as her tone became business-like and she continued, "…we need to talk about Lily and James. They need to get together."

He simply blinked at her. Her smile faltering, she asked, "What? You think they shouldn't be together?"

Swallowing and blinking, he shook his head. "No, that's not it. I'll admit that I've only recently warmed up to Lily but I think James deserves a chance with her. He's been after her for so long, after all. I just wasn't…err…expecting you to say that…so bluntly," he finished lamely, not knowing what else to say.

Marlene didn't seem to notice him stumbling over the last few words and nodded.

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page," she said, "So how's this going to happen?"

Regaining his senses and trying to focus on his best mate and his love interest, Sirius offered a weak chuckle and said, "We could lock 'em in a broom cupboard till they start snogging each other madly?"

They continued talking for a long time, Marlene not once seeming to notice that Sirius' heart wasn't really in it. Finally, after many weak ideas and a few drinks, they decided that they really hadn't any idea of how to go about setting up Lily and James without royally pissing off at least one of them, if not both.

"Let's head back, shall we?" Sirius asked as the clock struck one pm.

"Sounds good. Listen, Sirius," Marlene began, but he refused to get his hopes up, "thanks for the drinks, I had a nice time," unfortunately his hopes were out of his control and began to fly at this point, "and I'm glad we're friends, you're a nice bloke."

Although he knew that, in all likelihood, he could get over this rejection – rejection that Marlene didn't realize she was giving – with the right dosage of moping and Firewhisky, part of Sirius truly felt crushed.

The walk back to Hogwarts was a quiet one, Sirius mulling over the apparent miscommunication between him and Marlene. As they arrived back at the castle, he said goodbye and wandered back up to Gryffindor tower and his dormitory, while Marlene claimed that she had to go meet Dorcas in the library for some reason or another. He wasn't paying much attention at that point. Luckily, the walk back had taken enough time that James should arrive back at the room relatively shortly. Sirius was in the mood to mope and pity himself and knew that, even though the pity party may annoy James, he would still listen.

Sirius had only been lying on his bed for what seemed like a few moments before he turned to his clock and saw that it was already two pm. At some point while he was in Hogsmeade, both Remus and Peter had gotten up and left the room. He had passed Remus studying in the Common Room on his way up but the sandy haired boy had not seen him; Peter was presumably somewhere in the castle, gorging himself on candy.

A few minutes past two, a very sweaty and dirty James Potter came shuffling into the room.

"Hey, mate," he said as he spotted his friend lying on the bed, "how was the date?"

"It wasn't a date," Sirius groaned, covering his eyes with his hands.

"What d'you mean?" James asked as he began stripping and throwing his practice gear haphazardly around the room.

"Apparently we had a miscommunication. She only wanted to go to Hogsmeade and talk about _you_ and _Lily_ and how you two are _meant to be together_ and all this other shit that, no offense mate, but, I don't really care about it."

James nodded, sitting tiredly on his bed and looking at his friend, listening as he ranted for the next twenty minutes about how Marlene had led him on and she hadn't meant to so he couldn't really be angry at her but at the same time he was upset and and and.

"Look, mate, I'm really sorry," James offered.

Sirius sighed and, for the second time that day, lazily rolled himself out of bed. "It's not your fault, Prongs, and I'll probably get over it soon enough. Just kinda sucks."

Sirius left the room as James finished getting dressed. As he buttoned up his shirt, he too left and clomped down the stairs to the Common Room, where Sirius had joined Remus and Peter, who had at some point returned with a bag of lemon drops.

However, instead of joining his friends, James peered around the room before he spotted a petite, brown-haired girl sitting on a plush red armchair and reading over her Charms notes.

"Dorcas," he called as he neared her.

"Oh, hello, uh, James," she murmured as she tore her attention away from the notes. "Lily's not here, she's-,"

"Actually," he interrupted, straightening his round glasses, "I was looking for Marlene."

"Oh," Dorcas blinked, "she's in the library working on the Potions assignment."

James thanked her and, before she could ask any questions, walked away and ducked through the portrait hole, making his way towards the library. During his rant, Sirius had told him about the plans he and Marlene had thought up. While James certainly appreciated that he wasn't the only one who thought that he and Lily should be together, he had accepted that she herself didn't think so and really didn't want anyone trying to force them together. That, he knew, could only end in disaster and anger.

He stalked quietly through the library, searching through the stacks and glancing at every table, searching for Marlene. Finally, he found her, in a secluded corner, diligently scribbling on a piece of parchment.

"Marlene," he said quietly, so as not to disturb anyone else working around them.

She looked up in surprise, startled out of her concentration. "James," she greeted him.

"Sirius told me about your Hogsmeade trip earlier."

She pursed her lips and set down her quill, setting her elbows on the table and knitting her fingers together. She nodded towards the chair in front of her, gesturing for him to sit. A little nervous at the stern look on her face, James sat down tentatively and raked his hand through his dark and already messy hair. It was a nervous tick.

"What exactly did he tell you?" she asked quietly.

"I don't want to get anyone in trouble. I only came to ask you to stop. I appreciate that you care enough about my relationship with Lily to try to make it work but…" he searched for the right words to make her understand and leaned forward on the table, closer to her. "Lily obviously doesn't have romantic feelings towards me and I've accepted that. If you try to force me on her, she's just going to be angry. At all of us. Our friendship will be ruined and we'll be back to not talking. I know I can't get her to be my girlfriend so at least let us be friends, yeah?"

James stood up and, with one last look at Marlene, whose brain was racing, turned and left the library.

Well, Marlene thought, this is a predicament. After years of James chasing her and her adamantly refusing him, Lily was finally falling for James. After years of not giving up, James was finally letting her go. Those two, she thought, had the worst possible timing in the world. And, she had to admit, James was spot on. If she egged Lily on too much, it would only annoy the redhead to the point that she would never go out with James.

There really was nothing to do but wait and hope that the densest witch and the most discouraged wizard ever would just succumb to their feelings and snog each other senseless.

* * *

You guys are wonderful :) Thanks for reviewing! More virtual hugs for everyone. Keep sending the love and I'll keep sending the story. Haha, sorta kidding :P I'll keep writing no matter what, but reviews definitely spur me on.

Thankfully, I'm done with exams and classes for a few weeks! It's so wonderful. I'll try to write more in the next few weeks because you all are so sweet and deserve it.

There wasn't too much action in this chapter but I think next chapter should be more interesting. And don't worry your pretty little heads about Sirius, he'll be okay. I can't bring myself to be too horrible to him.

Happy Christmas to everyone, too!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was a chilly Thursday evening. Hogwarts' Christmas break was approaching quickly and Lily, unlike most students, was dreading it. Of course she would go home – there was no legitimate reason not to – but going home meant putting up with her absolutely horrible sister Petunia and her even worse walrus of a fiancé.

Still, part of Lily was excited for Christmas itself. Christmas meant presents, of course, but it also meant a tree and decorating the house with some of Lily's favourite things. Not to the most delicious dinner of the year. Mrs. Evans was known to go all-out on her Christmas dinners. There used to be a decent amount of people at the Evans' house, but that was many years ago, when Lily's grandparents were still alive. But even though there were only the five now – Vernon's parents always vacationed during Christmas with his aunt and uncle – Lily's mother continued her trend of making huge Christmas feasts.

So, this particular Thursday evening found Lily Evans sprawled across her bed, having finished her homework about an hour prior, daydreaming about unwrapping gifts, hanging the prettiest ornaments, and digging into the creamiest mashed potatoes, softest rolls, and juiciest ham yet.

She looked up, startled, as the door to her dormitory banged open and closed. Dorcas sighed as she threw her bookbag onto the floor and heaved herself onto her friend's bed.

"Why," she began, exasperated, "why, why, _why_, Lily dearest, am I so damn nice?"

Dorcas sighed again and flopped back onto the bed, her head barely missing the wall and her legs dangling off, as Lily pulled herself into a somewhat upright position and peered down at her brunette friend.

"I haven't any idea what in the world you're talking about, Dorcas," Lily said.

"I just – _just _finished helping that whiny Second Year with his Herbology homework. Merlin knows why I keep helping him. But anyway, since I spent my entire evening helping him, I still have to finish my essay for Transfiguration! McGonagall's gonna kill me if I don't have it finished. I've already been late on three essays this year."

Lily reached down and picked up a chunk of Dorcas' hair and began to braid it as she said, "You keep helping him because you're so nice. Which is why I love you. _However, _that having been said, sometimes you _are_ too nice. So next time that whiny little wanker asks you for help, tell him to bugger off," she finished cheerfully.

Dorcas glared up at her friend and sat up, swatting Lily's hand away from her hair and unbraiding the lock of hair.

"Anyway," Dorcas said, "I didn't even go to dinner-,"

"I noticed that," Lily interrupted.

"_so,_" Dorcas continued, giving Lily a look, "I need to go sneak into the kitchens and then go to the library and get this essay done. I just came to vent for a few moments beforehand. And to get my books."

With that, Dorcas hopped off of Lily's bed and began gathering her Transfiguration book, her partially begun essay, and extra ink and quills. As she was slinging the bag over her shoulder, the door banged open again and Marlene entered the room just as Dorcas left.

"Whoa," Marlene said, looking back at Dorcas' retreating figure, "what's crawled up _her_ bum?"

"The Second Year she's tutoring," Lily said, shifting in her bed and crossing her legs.

"I thought she said he was a, what was it, a nice bloke?" Marlene smirked and sat down next to Lily, crossing her own legs.

"That was before he started whining nonstop and questioning every single tip she gives him. What's up with everyone invading my personal space today and sitting on my bed?" Lily raised her eyebrows at Marlene but she had a teasing lilt to her voice.

"Well," Marlene's tone dropped to a very serious one, "I need to talk to you."

Hearing the seriousness in her friend's voice, Lily immediately sobered up and asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Marlene couldn't help but chuckle at Lily's sounding like a nervous mother. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. And, well. Okay, so, things happened. It's nothing horrible or anything but it's definitely important."

"So nobody's hurt or – or worse?"

"No, Lils, nobody's hurt or dead or dying. Except maybe of a broken heart."

Lily glared at Marlene. "What are you getting on about?"

"Okay, seriously. I went with Sirius to Hogsmeade last weekend."

"Sirius Black? You fancy him, don't you?"

Marlene blushed a little but brushed it off, "That's besides the point. We only went to discuss you and James. We were trying to come up with plans to set up you and James," – Marlene ignored Lily's indignant 'Hey!' at this – "but Sirius blabbed to James, who then came up to me and basically begged me to stop trying to set you guys up."

"He begged you – James Potter begged you not to set him up with me?" Lily's face fell as she heard this information, "So he really doesn't fancy me anymore."

"No, no!" Marlene quickly interjected, taking Lily's hand, "au contraire, Miss Evans. He's as in love with you as ever. He's just matured. Strange concept, I know, but it's really and truly happened. He told me that he's realized that he doesn't have a chance with you and wants to just be friends. He thinks that if Sirius and I tried to set you guys up, you'd just be angry at everyone and his friendship with you would be ruined."

Lily was silent, trying to process this.

"Lily," Marlene said, snapping her back to reality.

"Marlene… he still fancies me? A lot?"

"Yes," Marlene nodded as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?" Lily began chewing on her lip, one of her nervous ticks.

"Well he fancies you, more than a lot. And you fancy him," Lily didn't even attempt to refute this, Marlene noted happily, "So what are you going to do about it? He doesn't think you like him as anything more than friends and he's not going to risk losing that friendship by making a move. So it's up to you."

As Marlene's words sunk in, Lily's eyes bulged and her entire face drained of its color.

"Oh Merlin," Lily whispered.

She was brought back to life as Marlene began laughing loudly and incessantly, clutching her stomach as she doubled over.

"What is so funny?" Lily demanded angrily.

"Yo-your face!" Marlene gasped out as she laughed, "You look like you've shat in your pants and just realized it!"

Lily couldn't help but chuckle at this but the two girls soon sobered up again as Lily wondered aloud, "What _am_ I going to do?"

"Honestly, Lils," Marlene offered, "I think you should just go up and snog him senseless."

"_That_ is one thing that will never happen. I can't just walk up to him and stick my tongue down his throat! He'd be horrified. Plus, it's not like it's easy to get him alone, so everyone else in the room would be horrified as well."

"But you admit that it sounds appealing?" Marlene grinned deviously and Lily glared. "Okay, okay. No snogging out of the blue. Maybe you ought to think it over and then… hey! The next Hogsmeade trip is the weekend after we get back from Christmas holiday. So think about how you want to ask him whilst you're home and then just ask him once we're back."

After thinking it over, Lily agreed that this was the best option.

The next few days passed in a blur. Dorcas and Alice were, of course, filled in on Lily's revelations and decisions. Lily and James both continued going to classes, going to Prefects' meetings, patrolling, and everything else that came along with their positions in the school. They continued being friendly towards one another, but James noticed that Lily was more edgy than usual around him. He didn't realize, however, that she was bursting with nerves. Ever since her conversation with Marlene, all she could think about was where and when and how to ask James Potter out. And all she could notice were his soft, soft lips and wonder how nice it would be to press her own to his.

Finally, the day that Lily was to board the Hogwarts Express back to London arrived. She levitated her trunk down the stairs to where Marlene, Dorcas, and Alice were already waiting for her.

"You're always the last one to finish packing," Alice remarked.

Lily shrugged, "I know. But I'm not late so no harm done."

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around to see James Potter smiling shyly down at her. "Hullo, Lily. Going home for the holidays, I see."

Lily nodded and looked behind him to see his own trunk sitting with Sirius and Peter. Remus, she presumed, was still packing. Sure enough, just as she finished that thought, he came into view on the boys' staircase as he levitated his own luggage.

"You are too," she commented, "I hope you have a happy Christmas."

"Thanks, you too," he said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small paper bag, "It's not anything special or anything, but, erm, I figured that, since we're friends and all, I'd get you something for Christmas." He shoved the bag at her and nervously laughed, ruffling his dark hair.

Lily looked down, opening the bag and peeking inside to see a few sugar quills. She grinned up at James and said, "Thanks, sugar quills are my favourite. How'd you know?"

"Oh, y'know, after a few years of basically stalking you, I know a few things…" he trailed off and they both laughed nervously.

"Um," Lily said, breaking the silence, "I'm afraid I didn't get you anything."

"That's okay, really. The sugar quills were nothing, really, so… anyway, I'd better get back to my mates, they're impatient to get to the train."

Lily nodded and James turned and went back to his mates. Sure enough, almost as soon as he reached them, they left the Common Room and headed for the Hogwarts Express. Lily and her own friends left shortly thereafter and before she knew it, they were all disembarking in London at Platform 9 ¾.

As she pushed her trunk on a trolley through the train station, she spotted her father and rushed towards him. Lily and her father had always been close and he was almost always the one to come pick her up when she came home from school. He made no reservations about declaring Lily his favourite child. While her mother certainly loved Lily, she still tried to placate both of her daughters and be a sort of mediator. She usually waited at home with Petunia, but greeted Lily enthusiastically.

"Daddy!" Lily cried as she reached Mr. Evans, who promptly enveloped her in a giant bear hug.

He helped her unload her luggage into the trunk of his car and they soon made it home, where Lily was happily reunited with Mrs. Evans and unhappily forced together with her sister. The few days leading up to Christmas passed quickly enough, full of tense moments at dinner between Lily and Petunia or Vernon but also full of cheery moments between Lily and her parents.

Lily woke early on Christmas morning, still as excited as she was when she had been six years old. She rolled over in bed and saw that it was only 6 o'clock. She'd have to wait a while longer before her parents and sister would awake. She spotted the brown bag that James had given her under her nightstand and grabbed it; if she was already too excited to sleep, she reasoned, the sugar this early wouldn't do anything anyway. As she stuck her hand in the bag, her fingers brushed something that was not still sugar but, in fact, parchment. Pulling it out, she saw a note folded over and addressed to her. Opening it, she read

_Dear Lily,_

_I just want to say that I'm very glad we're friends._

_I hope that I'm living up to your expectations as Head Boy._

_At the risk of sounding like your father,_

_you're a very impressive young lady._

_Anyway, enjoy the sugar quills. Happy Christmas._

_With Love, James_

She read it again. 'With love'. 'With love'? 'With love'!

Giddy with excitement, she grabbed some spare parchment and wrote him a note:

_James,_

_Thank you so much for the sugar quills, they're delicious._

_You've been doing a wonderful job as Head Boy, and,_

_at the risk of sounding like your mother, you're quite the impressive young bloke. _

_I know this must seem like it's coming out of the blue - but it's not, trust me, -_

_Would you like to go out with me? Date me, I mean._

_I've taken quite a fancy to you._

_Love, Lily_

Rereading her own note, Lily's courage dissolved and, frowning at herself, she ripped up the letter and threw it in the rubbish bin. Crossing her arms, she laid back down until she heard her parents stirring and got up for Christmas.

The rest of break dragged on and Lily was restless until it was the day of her return to Hogwarts. Part of her couldn't wait but the rest of her dreaded it. How in the world was she going to muster up enough courage to ask out James Potter?

She barely paid attention as she kissed her mother goodbye, drove to the train station with her father, kissed _him_ goodbye, and got onto Platform 9 ¾. She tuned out the chattering Third and Fourth Years as she pushed her way through the throng of students boarding the train until she found the compartment with Sirius Black and James Potter. Luckily, Remus and Peter were nowhere to be seen.

Mustering up her courage, she slid open the door and stood, staring at the two.

"Err, Sirius... would you mind leaving for a few moments?" She asked timidly, her courage wavering.

Giving his best mate a look, Sirius nodded, stood up, and left, closing the door behind him without a word.

"James," Lily began, taking a deep breath. "I have to ask you something."

* * *

Ooh, look, a cliffhanger! What in the world could she _possibly_ ask him?

Again, thank you all who've reviewed/who are reviewing/who will review. I love you all!


	9. Chapter 9

James blinked up at the auburn haired girl standing timidly before him. She was wringing her hands nervously and biting her bottom lip. If James himself hadn't been so anxious, he would be quite distracted by her teeth raking across her lip, pulling it into her mouth before letting it pop out again.

She, still fretting, sat down next to him before quickly jumping up again and settling down into the seat opposite him, folding her hands in her lap. James lifted one arm and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it up as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and glance out the window at the countryside which was now rolling by before directing his gaze once again to Lily.

"You, err, wanted to ask me a question?" His voice cracked over the last word.

"Yes, I, um… how was your Christmas?" Her voice squeaked out the entire sentence.

Clearing his throat and sitting up, James nodded as he responded, "It was… weird, to be honest. It was our first Christmas without Mum."

"Oh," Lily got up and moved to sit next to James, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

James shook his head. "No, not many kids at Hogwarts do. It's okay. She was sick for a while and we saw it coming."

Lily rested her hand on James' forearm.

"Still," she said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I would do without my Mum."

"I hope you don't have to figure it out any time soon," James said, smiling sadly at her.

The pair sat in silence for a few moments, Lily's fingers absentmindedly rubbing soothing circles on James' arm as they both stared out of the window at the passing countryside. Although both appeared calm, neither was. Lily was aching to just leave, leave now and go back to pretending as if she didn't fancy James Potter. James' mind was racing – here he was, sitting with Lily, alone in a train compartment, with her rubbing circles on his arm – _soothing circles on his arm_, for the love of Merlin, it had to mean something! And she had said she wanted to ask him a question!

"So, uh, James," Lily began quietly as she seemed to finally notice where her fingers were and what they were doing and withdrew them, leaving his arm feeling much cooler than it had mere moments before.

James turned to look down at Lily, his hazel eyes staring down intently at her green ones. _Please please please tell me you fancy me_, he pleaded with her silently. _Please say you read my note, say you liked it. Say something, say anything._

Lily, however, seemed oblivious to his pleas as she continued to sit there, silent, with her mouth slightly agape. There was a tormented look in her eyes as if she wanted to say something to him but could not bring herself.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Are you – um – when – where did you get those sugar quills?" She stuttered, a blush spreading up her neck and over her cheeks. "They were, y'know, really… really tasty. I… I love… sugar quills…" her voice trailed off quietly as she looked down at hands, spread out across her lap, her fingers nervously tapping her knees.

Sadly, James shook his head and looked away. He knew it was too good to be true, that look that he had thought he had seen in her eyes. There was no way that Lily Evans would ever return his romantic notions. But, he thought, he would be a fool to throw away her friendship simply because he had unrequited feelings. And so he turned back to her, masking his hurt and smiling artificially, pulling one side of his mouth up.

"Just at Honeydukes. They've got good quality candy, as you know, for fairly decent prices. Have you never… have you never had their sugar quills before?"

"No, no, I have," she said quietly, giving him a strange look, "These just tasted…better, I suppose."

"Look," James coughed nervously, ruffling his hair again, "I reckon that you got the note in the bag and, um, I just wanted to apologize if… if you got the wrong idea from it. I didn't intend it in … _that_ way."

He was lying through his teeth. It was, he supposed, his one last hurrah, his last attempt to try to get Lily to confess any feelings she might have for him. Apparently they were nothing but friendly, she thought of him as nothing more than a friend, a nice bloke.

He was lying through his teeth and she knew it.

"No, James," Lily said, suddenly fierce, as she turned and look at him squarely. "You did mean it. You meant it all, you meant the love that you signed it with."

He could only gawk at the girl in front of him. What in the world was she saying? Why would she say these things, unless to embarrass or hurt him?

"And," she continued, on an apparent mission to destroy his feelings, "I hate the stupid grin you've got plastered on your face right now."

James' face completely fell; the grin disappeared and was replaced with a frown and an angry look in his eyes.

"Lily, I don't know what in the bloody hell you're saying these things for, but just stop. Please. I know we've had our disagreements in the past but I thought we were getting on quite well, so why you're being so – so rude right now is beyond me."

James stood up and Lily followed suit.

"No, no," she was shaking her head, "do you know _why_ I don't like that stupid smile?"

"Oh, why, Lily? Please, do tell me, I abso-bloody-lutely _love_ having my heart ripped out! So go on, tell me about why you hate my grin and my hair and my personality and every-fucking-thing else about me," James raged sarcastically, waving his arms irately.

"No!" She said forcibly, placing her hands on her hips, "Shut the bloody hell up, and _listen to me!_" James was about to interrupt her again but Lily glared at him and continued on, "I _hate_ that grin because it's – it's the smile you put on your face when you're hiding! When you're really hurt by what I've said or done but you don't want me to know. Don't think I don't know that horrible smile! You've certainly given it to _me_ enough times over the years. And – and," her voice quieted to almost an inaudible whisper, "you meaning what you wrote in that note isn't necessarily a – a bad thing."

James sat down, letting out a breath that he didn't know he was even holding for the second time in half an hour. Instead of following his lead, though, Lily remained standing with her arms crossed and a conflicted look on her face.

"I – I don't know what you're trying to say," James whispered but Lily just snorted.

He revised his words. "Okay, I think I know what you're trying to say and I desperately hope that I'm right but I refuse to jump to that conclusion and make a fool of myself until you make it absolutely clear," he said quietly.

James was nervously rubbing his hands down his legs, his foot was tapping, and his heart was thumping so impossibly loudly that he was certain that Lily could hear it. He felt sick to his stomach, looking at her standing in front of him. Her hands were no longer on her hips but folded across her chest. The angry, fierce look that had been on her face just minutes before was gone, only to be replaced with one that was much more… open, sensitive, almost worried.

With a sigh, Lily turned to face him, brushing a piece of dark red hair away from her face as she did so.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward so that she was standing between James' legs. She stared down at him, her bright green eyes flooded with emotion ranging from apprehension to – he was almost sure he saw it – desire. He was sure that this was the closet they had ever been. His heart pounded even harder, if that was even possible. He felt certain that it would break his ribcage at any moment but right now, while she was looking at him like that, he didn't give a damn.

Lily reached out her arms, draping them over his shoulders as she leaned in even closer, her torso mere centimeters away from his.

"What I'm trying to say," she whispered against his skin, and his hazel eyes fluttered closed behind his round wire glasses, "is that…" she trailed off, murmuring something so quietly that it was inaudible and lowered herself onto James' leg, nestling closer still to him.

At the feel of Lily sitting on his leg, James' eyes flew open and he turned his head ever so slightly to look at her square in the eye.

Swallowing, he quietly asked her, "Would you repeat that, Miss Evans?"

A rosy blush once again spread up her neck and over her cheeks as he intently held her gaze. Her lips parted ever so slightly and her hold around his neck loosened a bit. She leaned forward, girlishly hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

He gulped at the feel of her batting eyelashes and trembling lips tickled his collarbone.

"I said," she murmured into his ear, having lifted her head just enough, "that I… quite… fancy you."

"Lily," James began but trailed off as she lifted her head again and looked at him through thick, dark lashes. Her gaze was focused on his lips and he self-consciously licked them.

"James," she answered in a breathy voice, bringing her face closer and closer to his.

Her eyes fluttered shut as her lips neared his own, waiting for him to lean in further and press his mouth to hers.

Just as his own eyes were about to close and his lips began to brush hers, someone coughed.

Lily sprang up in shock, her eyes widening as she turned and saw Sirius standing in the door of the compartment, scratching his neck.

"I was, err, wandering the halls, but one of the Fifth Year Prefects from Ravenclaw yelled at me, kept saying it wasn't safe to be up and walking about for no reason and I should get back to my compartment," he offered up as Lily and James stared up at him, James frozen in his seat and Lily's eyes still as wide as saucers.

"I ought to be going," she squeaked, pushing past Sirius and rushing down the hall, searching for her own friends' compartment.

"Y'know, mate, there's so much sexual tension between you two that you could cut it with a knife. You oughta do something 'bout that," Sirius remarked casually, lounging back on the bench across from James.

"I was about to, you bloody prick, until _you _interrupted!" James exclaimed.

"What, you didn't even… oh." Sirius sat up, "I thought you two had been snogging for a while already, else I wouldn't have come in quite yet. Sorry, Prongs."

James just shook his head and massaged his temples.

"Where are Remus and Peter?" he asked as his mind replayed the moment in which Lily had told him that she fancied him over and over again.

"Ran into them shortly after you kicked me out. Told them you wanted privacy with Lily so they went off to find her friends. I would've gone with them, but…"

"Marlene." James finished for Sirius, who simply grunted in agreement.

"I reckon they'll come back soon, once Lily finds their compartment and they realize private time's over," Sirius said after a few moments of silence.

"She told me she fancied me," James commented lightly, but Sirius knew that it was a very big development.

"Well that's really great, eh? Now all you have to do is snog her senseless and take her on a date!"

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," James shook his head, "I'm going to go find her though. If I catch her soon enough after this… incident, I think there's a greater chance of her still admitting that she fancies me and agreeing to go out with me. If I see Remus and Peter, I'll send them back."

Sirius nodded and, standing up, pulled the latest publication of _Quidditch Monthly _out of his bag.

He had only flipped through the first few pages when he heard the door slide open and looked up, expecting to see his friends. Instead, however, he was faced with none other than Marlene McKinnon.

He sat up abruptly, dropping his magazine in the progress.

She bent down to pick it up and said, "James and Lily are currently searching for an empty compartment and everyone else is back in the other one. But James said you were in here alone so… I was hoping we could talk?"

She stood up, piercing his grey eyes with her own brown ones.

So far, although they had only been traveling for about forty-five minutes, this train ride had been the longest that Sirius had ever experienced and now, as he watched Marlene sit down next to him and push her blonde hair over one shoulder, he knew it would continue in that way. He hoped James was faring better, wherever he was.

That is, until Marlene leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

* * *

Ahh, another cliffhanger-ish ending! What will Sirius do? What will Marlene say? Will Lily and James find an empty compartment? And will they finally finally FINALLY snog each other senseless?

Haha, I know I'm terrible but it's too fun :) Hope the chapter didn't disappoint overall.

Thanks for all the feedback, love for all of you!


End file.
